Hydrometer test jar

[fuzzy2133]

Maybe dental floss? Couldn't the weight of the string be calibrated out? Fill the carboy to the five gallon mark with plain old tap water. As a control, measure the tap water without the string attached. Then measure tap water with the string attached to find an offset. Or something like that.

On a side note. I've never had any luck trying to drop a hydrometer into a fermenter. Very difficult to read.

If the floss will grab and hold the hydro that would be killer! Now I will have to give it a try tonight. Could be a new way to check 1 gallon batches than use an unreliable refractometer calculation.

OP what is your recipe, OG and Yeast? Wonder if you might be ok to let it sit for 3 weeks before bottling. I definitely under stand if you do not want any bottle bombs and want the gravity readings to confirm.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just use the tube the hydrometer came in.

In a pinch you could, just make 100% sure to glue or tape down the bottom plug very well or your hydrometer will be on the floor. Most if not all of those tubes had the bottom drop out on them. The broken hydrometer compendium is a sad testimony of this occurence.

I bought one that actually had a real bottom in the tube. And a stopper on the top. Very rare!

Get a plastic hydrometer jar with a foot/base. More stable.

 

[Trox]

In a pinch you could, just make 100% sure to glue or tape down the bottom plug very well or your hydrometer will be on the floor. Most if not all of those tubes had the bottom drop out on them. The broken hydrometer compendium is a sad testimony of this occurence.

I bought one that actually had a real bottom in the tube. And a stopper on the top. Very rare!

Get a plastic hydrometer jar with a foot/base. More stable.

My first hydrometer came in a solid tube with a stopper on top, so guess lucked out there and also kept that tube. My second hydrometer (first broke on second batch while I was rinsing it off) came in a two piece tube like the OPs so wouldn't be usuable for testing FG; might be usuable for checking OG in a big beer since it should float high enough not to bottom out.

 

[Jeff180]

Siphon back to your primary, then pretend you never used a secondary to begin with.

 

[DieKatzchen]

OP what is your recipe, OG and Yeast? Wonder if you might be ok to let it sit for 3 weeks before bottling. I definitely under stand if you do not want any bottle bombs and want the gravity readings to confirm.

It is a kit. An English Bitter by Better Homebrew. Unfortunately I messed up the wort, added too much water, so I don't even know what the FG should be. I plan on waiting a while and then taking readings 3 days apart to make sure it's done to avoid bottle-bombs. Then I'm going to store them in a Rubbermaid tub with cardboard in between in case I get bottle bombs anyway.